


Tomophobia

by CherryBlossomLesbian



Series: Prompt Fills [5]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Blood, Blood and Injury, Hospitals, M/M, Needles, Nitrous Oxide, Past Medical Trauma, Phobias, Prompt Fill, Protective Steve Rogers, blood transfusion, injury depiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:33:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27291247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CherryBlossomLesbian/pseuds/CherryBlossomLesbian
Summary: After missions, Steve would be brought into the medbay for any injuries he might have sustained. In the time he spends getting checked up on, Bucky slips away and heads up to him and Steve's floor in the Tower. He waits for Steve to return, and when he does, Steve pulls out the frankly insane amount of first aid and medical equipment they had stashed in their bathroom, and patched up Bucky while they sat on their bed.OR: Bucky has a (understandable) fear of everything medical. Steve patches him up most of the time, but there's just some things only a doctor can do.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Series: Prompt Fills [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1978546
Comments: 5
Kudos: 46





	Tomophobia

**Author's Note:**

> This prompt was sent to me on my [Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.qa/CherryBlossomLesbian)! Thank you so much for the prompt! And anon, I love being called queen, what a self confidence boost. 
> 
> if you'd like to submit a prompt for me to write, check out the notes of my prompt fills series this fic is in!
> 
> [Original prompt post](https://i-write-whump.tumblr.com/post/633337892924686336/when-the-whumpee-goes-to-the-caretaker-when-they)! 
> 
> Warning: Please heed the tags and be cautious if blood, needles, injuries or hospitals trigger you!

"Alright, this may sting a bit." 

Bucky tensed up, preparing for the pain. 

Steve carefully moved the cotton ball that was soaked in antiseptic solution. Bucky winced just a bit when the solution first touched the large cut on his back, but for the most part stayed still and quiet. 

This wasn't unusual for them. 

Bucky had a fear of...pretty much everything medical. Sometimes bandages even set him on edge. 

The fear was understandable and completely rational- Bucky only remember a tiny bit of the torture HYDRA had put him through, and Steve suspected Bucky had only told him half of what he remembered. Steve was fine with not knowing everything. Even thinking about the things Bucky had told him makes his stomach church uncomfortably. 

He hated hearing about it, but if Bucky wanted to tell him anything, he'd listen. He'd do anything for Bucky. 

Which leads them to their current situation. 

After missions, Steve would be brought into the medbay for any injuries he might have sustained. In the time he spends getting checked up on, Bucky slips away and heads up to him and Steve's floor in the Tower. He waits for Steve to return, and when he does, Steve pulls out the frankly insane amount of first aid and medical equipment they had stashed in their bathroom, and patched up Bucky while they sat on their bed. 

Right now, there was a protective cotton pad between Steve and Bucky in case the cut on his back began to bleed again. They'd had their sheets stained with blood before, they tried to avoid it as much as possible now- blood is nearly impossible to get out of fabric even with the best laundry detergent out there. 

Among the scars littering Bucky's back, a deep red cut stood out. It spanned nearly the whole width of his back, still open in some places. It was grotesque, almost looking like a wave with how the line of the cut went- a few inches closed, a few inches open, repeat until the line ended. 

Steve finished cleaning the area, added a numbing cream, and then began to thread the needle to stitch up the open parts. 

Bucky's worst fears (related to his medical trauma, at least) were needles and sedatives. He'd been poked far too many times, and he didn't like to not have control of his body after what had happened. 

But he understood stitches were needed sometimes- so he didn't fight or protest when Steve began to stitch him up. Steve thought that maybe Bucky was only okay with Steve patching him up because he trusted Steve so much. 

It seemed to be the truth, considering he barely flinched when the needle entered his skin. 

Just a couple weeks ago, Steve received his EMT certification. He'd taken a course on EMT and emergency responders training at the community center, with a teacher Sam recommended. 

He'd only taken the course so he'd better know how to patch Bucky up in situations like this. He didn't even tell Bucky he took the class or got his certification- he didn't need to know and Steve is sure he'll only feel guilty, as if he forced Steve into taking it to care for him. 

That couldn't be further from the truth. Sure, he took the class because of Bucky, but he had in no way been forced into it. He loved to help Bucky. Even if it meant helping him like this. 

They'd taught him the best way to suture a wound that would heal the quickest, cause the least amount of pain, and keep the wound firmly shut. He was applying the technique now, paying attention to Bucky's breathing pattern. If his breathing speed changed, he was either hurting a lot or was on the verge of a panic attack, and both required Steve to stop stitching. 

When he was done suturing all of the open sections, he carefully wrapped the wound in bandages, making sure Bucky could still breathe with the cloth wrapped around his chest. 

Then he removed the vinyl gloves he'd been wearing, and began to clean up the equipment. He carefully stuck the needle he'd used into the sharps container, put the antiseptic solution and numbing cream back into their proper storage places, and cleaned up everything else that was left while Bucky pulled a loose sweatshirt over his head and laid down on the bed, back facing the ceiling.

"You can lay on it." Steve said as he threw the gloves in the trash. "The stitches won't break." 

"I know." Bucky replied, voice just a whimper. "Just wanna sleep like this." 

Steve nodded and finished cleaning before climbing into bed besides Bucky, who was already fast asleep. 

~~~~~~

Steve could do a lot of medical things. 

He could suture, bandage, insert an IV, even reset a bone. 

He could not give a blood transfusion. 

Bucky had been bleeding badly from his abdomen even on the quinjet back to the Tower- Steve had pointed it out, Bucky insisted he was fine. 

But now he was practically unconscious and blood was pooling out of him and Steve didn't have any other option except to carry him to the medbay. 

He burst into the medical bay, calling for a nurse, a doctor, anybody, while Bucky meekly protested quietly from Steve's arms.

He was protesting that he was fine. That he didn't need a doctor. 

And sure, Steve felt awful for dragging him down here, but he did not feel bad that he was keeping his boyfriend from dying. 

So, yeah. He's being conscientious. It's hard, and he feels guilty, but this is the right thing. 

Soon there was a nurse with a gurney running right up to him, and Steve wasted no time with setting Bucky down on it, his blood soaked tac suit already staining the gurney's sheets. 

"Do you know his blood type?" The nurse asked as she began to push the gurney down the hall. Steve ran to Bucky's side, grabbing his flesh hand, squeezing it, holding his hand. Bucky needed the comfort. 

"O-." Steve said, and at the exact same time, Bucky said "AB" quietly. 

Steve looked down at him for a moment while the nurse looked at them both, confused. 

"It's O-, he's just lost a lot of blood." Steve clarified. 

"'was just guessing." Bucky retaliated weakly. 

Steve gave a worried smile. "It's okay, Buck, I got this. No guessing needed." 

He nodded, giving in to getting medical attention instead of protesting. Either he decided they were too far in to keep objecting to care, or he realized how badly injured he was. 

The nurse yelled something into a walkie-talkie clipped to her nametag about a blood transfusion, before bringing the gurney into a hospital room and carefully transporting Bucky onto the hospital bed in the room. As she did, a doctor that was familiar to Steve entered the room with another nurse who was wheeling a canister and nasal tubes into the room. 

"Doctor Cho." Steve greeted, and she gave a gentle smile. 

"Hello, Captain." She waved, before ordering the nurse at Bucky's side to grab a suture kit. "I brought nitrous oxide, if Sergeant Barnes would like it to relax." 

"Awake." Bucky spat out weakly, just the one word, but both Steve and Dr. Cho understood. 

"No, Buck, it's just nitrous oxide. You'll be awake the whole time, just more relaxed, ok?" Steve corrected, and Bucky nodded then. 

"Alright. Steve, can you help by removing his tac suit? Melody, set up the nitrous oxide." She began to order around, and Steve was right on it, unbuckling the straps on the suit and gently peeling it from Bucky's torso. He didn't even groan, just stayed still until he slid out of the suit. 

Steve ignored the wound after he got a single glimpse of it from removing the blood-soaked tac suit around it. He didn't even know what it came from, and he didn't want to know. 

It was by far the worst thing he'd ever seen. Maybe because it was his boyfriend that was hurt, or maybe the injury was really that disgusting. 

The nurse from before came back with a suture kit, and Dr. Cho sat on Bucky's side with the injury as the second nurse finished with the gas. 

"Alright, this might feel a little bit weird, okay?" The second nurse said, with Bucky just nodding a bit as she inserted the nasal cannula insanely quickly, and started the flow of the nitrous oxide. 

Dr. Cho and the other nurse had been cleaning the wound, and finished quickly for how much blood there had been. 

And then she was stitching, and Bucky was just staring up at the ceiling. 

"...you okay, Buck?" Steve asked cautiously, and then Bucky did something Steve hadn't heard since 1937. 

He giggled. 

"The ceiling tiles look like lions." He giggled out, and Steve's eyebrows raised. 

"How much nitrous oxide are you giving him?" He asked Dr. Cho without looking at her, for fear of catching sight of the wound. 

"Enough." She replied as she continued stitching. 

They went on like that for a while. Another nurse came by, inserted an IV into Bucky's hand and began giving him the blood for a transfusion. 

Steve's not even sure he noticed that there had been a needle in his hand. 

Once Dr. Cho finished stitching, she bandaged the wound and covered Bucky's entire torso with a blanket. 

"You're in one piece again, Sergeant Barnes." She told him with a smile, and Bucky giggled again. 

Dr. Cho and the nurses all left a little bit after that, and Steve noticed Bucky's eyelids fluttering shut before opening again a second later. 

"You wanna take a nap?" Steve asked, and Bucky gave an uncoordinated nod. 

"You can sleep, Buck. I'll be with you, nobody's gonna hurt you when I'm here." Steve promised, and Bucky smiled, his eyes slipping closed and saying closed. 

"Night Stevie." He said right before his breathing evened out, and he was asleep. 

~~~~~~~ 

He woke up hours later, once the nasal cannula was removed and blood transfusion was finished. 

He woke up, and they headed back to their floor of the Tower. 

Steve made a late late night dinner (two am, honestly would be closer to breakfast) while Bucky laid down on the couch. 

Steve delivered a plate of spaghetti with a light amount of sauce and quite a large amount of parmesan cheese. 

"Thanks, Steve." Bucky said as he grabbed a forkful of the pasta, still mindful of the small bruise the IV had left on his hand. 

"No problem, I mean, I was hungry too." Steve shrugged as he began to eat his own plate. 

"No, I mean for taking me to medical." He clarified, a little sheepishly. "And for patching me up every other time." He watched a strand of spaghetti fall ungracefully from his fork back onto the plate. "Means a lot." 

Steve smiled. "Course." 

They ate in relative silence, the gentle hum of the TV playing a sitcom on low volume in the background the only sound. 

Then Steve got brave, and said "I like it when you giggle." 

Bucky froze mid-bite. 

He carefully finished chewing, before asking "What?" 

"When you were on the nitrous oxide." Steve looked down at his plate, not wanting to meet Bucky's eyes. His face was heating up. "You giggled. Said the ceiling tiles looked like lions." 

There was silence for a minute, then Bucky replied. 

"Did they? Look like lions?" 

Steve laughed. "Vaguely. You were pretty out of it."

They went to bed around 3am. 

Steve didn't stop patching Bucky up after missions. 

Bucky did, however, go to the medbay more when there were injuries Steve couldn't fix. He wasn't as scared, but that's not to say the fear was gone. It was very much still there, but he was okay with Dr. Cho and the other staff at the medbay helping him, along with the nitrous oxide and Steve by his side the whole time.

**Author's Note:**

> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/cartersleia)
> 
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